Snow Storms

We are getting hit hard by some snow storms here as I am sure a lot of other people are too. The only that sucks is that my parents are coming for Christmas and there are 3 road closures along their route. We are praying the roads open up and they can get through.

The boys however love the snow. Samuel would play outside all day if I let him. I love having a white Christmas and seeing the beauty of the snow. Here are some pics from them playing out there today.

Getting Ready For Christmas

This is what I have made my Dad for Christmas. I have made a similar thing for Samuel and Russell and my Mom told me this is what he wanted. I am glad I can give him a meaningful gift. Of course I had to make one for myself also.

We have been having fun wrapping gifts and decorating but it has been more fun to teach our children about Christmas and the true meaning of it. During Family Home Evening we have taught Samuel why we celebrate Christmas. We have had opportunities to serve sick people in the ward by taking hem meals and I have taken Samuel with me and tried to make them learning experiences for him. I love this time of year and the Spirit that I feel. I am able to reflect on my Savior and all he has done for me. I am so grateful for the birth, atonement, and resurrection of the Lord and that He has made it possible for me to be with my family for eternity.

Here are a few pictures that I have taken in December.

My parents are coming for Christmas and surprising the boys. I can't think of anything I want more. I have not been able to spend a Thanksgiving or Christmas with my parents for 4 years so it means a lot to me that they are able to come. I will post pictures of our family fun after Christmas.

I hope you all have a wonderful Christmas and that the blessing of the Lord will be with you.

Thanksgiving Day & Putting up the Tree

We had a nice Thanksgiving with Will's Mom & Dad and his sister Elaina and her family. We almost ended up going to Post Falls to see my parents but things did not work out with Will getting work off. Here is a picture of us on Thanksgiving.

We also put up our Christmas Tree this weekend and the boys had a lot of fun helping me decorate the house.

James hung out with dad while we got everything put up. The boys are excited for Christmas and we are looking forward to a fun Christmas with them. My parents might come after Christmas for a week and that would be great. They still have not met James and I can not go home until May so I really hope it works out for them to come. The boys miss them and would love to see them too.

Hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving!

Weekend Trip

The benefit concert on Friday was great. I was glad to have been able to support a good cause and learn more about the shelter itself. The restaurant was amazingly beautiful and the food was good. A valet even parked my car, that was a first. Hilary was wonderful as she always is and it was fun to hear her perform her Christmas songs and new songs from her new album including my favorite "He Loves Me" My friend Welker went with me on the trip and I was glad to have a friend with me. Hilary was kind enough to let us stay at her house and we were able to go shopping and out to eat with her and her daughter Kenzie on Saturday. We then headed to Tim's Moms' house to watch the big game between BYU & Utah. BYU came out on the losing end due to their quarterback. We headed back to the Weeks' house and watched a movie then headed to bed. It was a great weekend and it helped me get the re-charge I needed to come back home and continue adjusting to our new family. Little James did great teh whole weekend and I took a picture of James with Hilary so I could put it in his baby book as the first famous person he ever met! :)

That is Hilary's daughter Calli with me, Welker, & Hilary.

Monday I went in to see if the filter that was placed in me would come out. It didn't and now I have a huge headache and a very sore neck. If it was Halloween it might look cool to have a blooy bandage on my neck, however right now it is very uncomfortable. It is not a flatering picture but I posted it anyways. I am glad I did not do the proceedure before the concert because I would have had a band-aid on my neck and yellow iodine left which is not a very formal look.

I am starting to feel better this afternoon but they gave me plenty of sedative and a Valium pill so I would not be so nervous. It worked great and I was not able to be left by myself for the rest of the night so my mother-in-law stayed with me. My friend Leslie D. took me to the hospital and watched James while I was there and on top of that made dinner for our family, which I was very grateful for.

I am looking forward to Thanksgiving and spending time with our family. Hope you all have a great one!

Hilary Weeks Benefit Dinner and Concert

Hilary Weeks is having a Holiday benefit dinner and concert on Friday November 21st from 7-9pm at La Caille restaurant in Sandy Utah.

There will be dinner and concert featuring best-selling LDS music artist Hilary Weeks. The proceeds from this concert will benefit the South Valley Sanctuary which is a non-profit organization dedicated to providing shelter and supportive services, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, to men, women and children who have been victimized by domestic violence.

If you and your family are looking for a way to give back this holiday season, please consider joining us for a fantastic dinner at La Caille followed by a concert by Hilary. Tickets are $100 per person and all proceeds benefit the South Valley Sanctuary.

Tickets can be purchased by going to http://www.southvalleysanctuary.com/ and following the link in the bottom right hand corner.

I wanted to post this on my blog because not only do I love Hilary and her music I feel like this is a good cause. I know most of you don't live in Utah that read my blog but if you have friends that do pass the word along.

(Angela you beat me to this on your blog but I was planning on doing it time just gets away from me.)

Pictures

I have been obsessed with taking pictures of James. I don't know if it is because I feel like I am done having kids so I don't want to miss out on James growing and changing and I want to document it all or what it is. Poor Russell will be the one without hundreds of pictures. Anyways, thought I'd post some new photos.

My 3 Boys

Someone told me I should post pictures of the 3 boys when they were babies to compare what they look like. So here you go.

Samuel

Russell

James

Halloween

We all had a good time on Halloween. We went to Rexburg and had a family party at Will's Sisters' house. It was nice because we did not have to go trick-or-treating because all the in laws made treat bags and we just got to hang out.






We carved pumpkins on the 30th, better late than never. The boys love their pumpkins and they like to go outside and look at them on the porch.

Update & Pictures of James

Things are going well for us as we are trying to adjust and get used to 3 kids. James is a great baby and puts up with the noise of his brothers very well. He seems to like to sleep on us instead of in his bassinet. I am trying to get him used to his bassinet so he doesn't end up sleeping in our bed for years. He seems to have a laid back personality. The boys are still loving him and wanting to hold him all the time. They both love to help me with things for James which is nice except when they fight over who gets to help with what. For the most part things are great and I am recovering well.